It is the principal object of the present invention to construct a golf club that will improve the performance of golfers. The prior art has taught a variety of clubface and shaft constructions and arrangements for golf putters. However, many putters do not comply with the rules of the United States Golf Association (USGA) because their designs run afoul of the required specifications or they require the player to assume an illegal stance when putting. Hence, such putters cannot be used in tournaments conducted pursuant to, sponsored or sanctioned by the USGA. See Rule 2 and Appendix II USGA Re-Drafts (Sep. 11, 1981), which are incorporated herein by reference.
The construction of a putter according to the rules require that the shaft or neck or socket of a putter be fixed at any point in the head and need not remain in line with the heel. The axis of the shaft from the top to a point not more than five (5) inches (127 mm) above the sole shall diverge in the toe-heel plane from the vertical by at least ten (10) degrees in relation to the horizontal line determining the length of the head.
The length of the clubhead shall be greater than the breadth. These measurements are made on horizontal lines between the vertical projections of the extremities when the clubhead is grounded in its normal address position.
Conventional putters have a flat face that causes the ball to skid on impact, especially on long putts. The skidding causes loss of control of the ball when the ball jumps off the ground. Moreover, skidding can amount to 20% of the distance to the hole.
A conventional putter is approximately 1 inch high which is smaller than 1.62 inches, the height of a golf ball. Consequently, the center of gravity of the conventional putter is lower than the center of gravity of the ball. Thus, when a conventional putter strikes the ball, the center of the putter makes contact below the center of the ball creating backspin in the ball.
When the club strikes the ball below the center line of the ball two things happen. First, the ball is made to travel in the direction of the swing of the club. This is the largest impact to the ball. Second, the stroke causes the ball to spin backwards. The torque or movement exerted on the ball is equal to the force of the club strike times the distance away from the center of the ball the ball is hit. This torque is small compared to the force that makes the ball go forward.
As the ball travels forward, it will slide along the grass for an almost imperceivable time. The force of friction between the grass and the ball will create a much larger torque than the torque mentioned above. The torque from the friction creates topspin which overtakes the backspin initially present in the ball.
Striking the center of ball is ideal because it eliminates the backspin problem. If you strike the ball below its center, the ball first spins backward, then turns to topspin during its forward roll due to friction with the grass. This slows the ball down and causes hops and skips. The problem of backspin is discussed in more detail in the drawings and description of preferred embodiments hereinafter.
Conversely, if you hit above the center of the golf ball it drives the ball down with topspin roll, but this also causes hops, skips and loss of speed.
Therefore, there exists a need to create a club that will guarantee that the ball will be struck at the center point. The backwards roll can be eliminated and a more efficient putt can be produced.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,685 discloses a golf club having a protruding mass on the top of the clubhead. However, there is also provided a mass concentration on the striking face which may result in off center hits.
The present invention seeks to solve these problems and improve the player's putting performance by providing a putter that is constructed so that the center of the clubface strikes the center of the ball. This construction is in compliance with the USGA rules and provides the player with an improved balance and feel of the club and more control over the putt which results in better putting performance.
By having the shaft connected through the center of the clubface, through the arch at some angle, one creates the maximum mass of weight behind the center of the club to strike the ball. Without question the best transfer of energy always occurs from the center of the clubface to the center of the golf ball. This maximizes the energy transferred. In contrast, energy is lost when a different part of the clubface strikes the ball.
If the center of the clubface strikes the center of the golf ball, normal backspin in the ball is eliminated. The ball will first scoot, then due to friction begin its topspin roll which is the desired roll. This type of hit achieves a perfect roll of topspin quicker and with less effort.
The present invention provides a greater probability that the center of the ball will meet the center of the clubface when executing a putt.